Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are in treacherous terrain over certain decisions happening around them. They were criticized for being granted exemptions for the Genesis Invitational despite very forgettable performances from the duo at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. And now, a young, up-and-coming LIV Golf Pro has overtaken them in the Official World Golf Rankings. Wait, aren’t LIV Golfers not supposed to get OWGR Points for LIV events? Then how did two seasoned veterans get outranked?

Let’s take a look at the other side of the world for a moment. David Puig is 23 years old. His resume is not half as impressive as either Spieth’s or Fowler’s. However, the young Spaniard has had a brilliant start to the 2025 season on the DP World Tour. The LIV Golf pro has seen a remarkable jump in his rankings after two impressive performances at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.

David Puig’s run of success at the DP World Tour earns him acclaim

At the Al Hamra Golf Club, Puig finished with a score of 15 under par. His performance on the last day was incredible, scoring a round-high 7 under par en route to the 3rd place behind Alejandro del Rey and Marcus Armitage. That display vaulted him to 87th in the OWGR from 111th, a jump of 24 places.

He followed the performance at Ras Al Khaimah with another top performance in Bahrain. He finished T2 at the Royal Golf Club with a score of 13 under par, one stroke behind leaders Canter Brown, and Larrazabal. This time, he jumped 10 places and officially overtook Spieth and Fowler.

Puig had previously finished T4 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa as well. In three starts this season in the DP World Tour, Puig has already registered a 100 percent top 5 finish record.

While Puig has been making solid leaps in ranking, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler have encountered tough times. The former has dropped to 84th after managing only a T69 finish at the recently concluded AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while Fowler dropped to 85th after finishing T53 in the same tournament. Why is this relevant you may ask? That is because, despite their questionable form and struggles on the course, the duo have been granted exemptions to compete in the upcoming Genesis Invitational.

Spieth and Fowler granted exemptions for the Genesis Invitational

The Genesis Invitational is only the third signature event on the PGA Tour and a week before it commenced, the event has attracted criticism. That is mainly because of the usage of sponsor exemptions. Being a signature event means that bigger purse and FedEx points are up for grabs. Tiger Woods, who is hosting the event at Torrey Pines(not the usual Rivera because of the LA Fires), granted exemptions to Spieth, Fowler, Justin Rose, and Gary Woodland to compete at the signature event.

The granting of exemptions came under heavy criticism, especially because there were more deserving candidates similar to David Puig. While Puig is not eligible to compete in any PGA Tour events yet, the fact that there is talent out there is a clear indicator that sponsor exemptions should not be taken lightly. Another up-and-coming golfer in Norway, Kristoffer Ventura, could have used the invitation to the signature event as a means of showcasing his talent to a broader audience, as well as against a tougher and more seasoned set of competitors.

The PGA Tour needs to be more open to talented players coming in. As the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. What the fans like are challenges and competitiveness. With young, talented golfers breathing down their necks, the old guards will have to step up or step out. Now that popular golfers like Spieth and Fowler are being outsmarted by young golfers like Puig, it makes for an interesting proposition, don’t you think?